This article explores the textual properties of arguably one of the most influential textual domains in contemporary society; that of mass-media discourse. Within this genre, it examines English-language hard news media reports from the United States, Great Britain and Australia focussing on the concepts of objectivity within this domain. Drawing…

Most members of the American public will never read this article. Instead, they will obtain much of their information about education from the news media. Yet little academic research has examined the type or quality of education research and expertise they will find there. Through the lens of gatekeeping theory, this mixed-methods study aims to…

The context for education policy making has changed dramatically in recent years. Policymaking at the state-level has become characterized by near-unprecedented enactment of neo-liberal education policies, increased influence of so-called Education Reform Advocacy Organizations (ERAOs) and increased challenges to unions' political influence. In…

Facebook and other social media have been hailed as delivering the promise of new, socially engaged educational experiences for students in undergraduate, self-directed, and other educational sectors. A theoretical and historical analysis of these media in the light of earlier media transformations, however, helps to situate and qualify this…

This article discusses digital media and its potential effects on emergent literacy skills development for young children. While the impact of digital media exposure on children's emergent literacy development is largely unknown, it is becoming a significant issue, as more and more young children throughout the world observe and use various forms…

Most researchers who have investigated the relationship between the media and education have asserted that coverage of education has a negative impact on public perceptions of, and support for, public education. Much of this research relies on negative case examples and cross-sectional data to make this claim. This article calls into question the…

Asserts that there is a need for research and scholarship in journalism, but that it must be important rather than filled with gobbledygook. Discusses the need for a more critical analysis of media performance. (MS)

Discusses the significance to media studies of queer theory. Examines (1) the commodification of "witness testimony" relating to the question of sexual innocence in the case of child molestation; (2) the effeminization of Jackson as a homophobic containment of him by the press; and (3) interpretive excess in the media's focus of an…

Offers the case of Lee Iacocca as a study of the print media's role in the creation of popular heroes. Focuses on patterns that present action and actors as heroic. (SR)

Uses Kantian logic to analyze the statement of Libertarian press theory "Truth beats falsehood in a free marketplace of ideas" as a definition, an observation, and a universal truth. Notes three corresponding moral universes, with differing ethical obligations. Discusses strengths and weaknesses of each. Cautions media ethics analysts…

Identifies the major insights concerning contemporary communication and media practices associated with the postmodern condition and evaluates their contribution to critical media studies. Suggests that postmodern media studies are themselves a symptom of the very postmodern culture they seek to analyze. (RS)

Investigates the relationship between education and knowledge of energy issues. Finds some evidence of such a relationship, especially among the more educated readers of newspaper energy stories. Finds some tendency for an initial knowledge gap--the more educated seem to learn more than the less educated at first. Notes that the difference…

Contributes to scholarship on attitudes toward the media's role in society by investigating public attitudes toward the use of investigative reporting. Finds that a large majority (84%) still approve of investigative reporting in general, while approval for specific investigative reporting techniques remains low (about one-third). (SR)

Presents the results of empirical research of media coverage of recent elections in Croatia. Uses qualitative analysis to examine coverage on broadcasts and in weekly and daily newspapers. Concludes that coverage of political parties was uneven. (PA)

Identifies the movie, "Rambo," and "Soldier of Fortune" magazine as artifacts of "paramilitary culture." Contends that they are a social phenomenon which helps legitimate the United States government's rapid escalation of military forces. (MS)